A NEW NIGERIA IS POSSIBLE - BUT ONLY IF WE CHANGE HOW WE THINK

RENEW YOUR MIND – NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE.

Before stepping into the Made in Nigeria Course class, which is held every third Saturday of the month, I always grab a cup of coffee to stay alert during Dike Chukwumerije's life-changing lectures.

On one of those Saturdays, as I paid for my coffee, the sales boy asked why we gathered every month. I told him, "We come together to discuss how to rebuild Nigeria." He smirked and said, "Oga, una just dey waste una time. Nigeria don finish."

I smiled and replied, "If this message about transforming Nigeria is strong enough to bring me all the way from Mesopotamia (a distant location) and others from across different states, then rebuilding Nigeria is NOT impossible."

Before leaving, I asked him:

"What religion did your great-grandfathers practice?"

He answered, "Traditional religion."

"And your father and you?"

He said, "Christianity."

I then asked, "How did Christianity become so deeply rooted in your family that you confidently identify with it anywhere?"

He was silent. The answer was obvious: someone introduced it to them, and it transformed generations.

---

THE KEY TO NIGERIA'S TRANSFORMATION IS MINDSET RENEWAL.

In many conversations with Dike, I asked why he believed our gatherings were the most effective way to rebuild Nigeria. His answer, in my words, was simple:

"You cannot transform anything unless an ideology takes root in the minds of people."

Nigeria’s transformation will not come solely from political parties. Our biggest challenges—corruption, bad governance, tribalism, religious intolerance, and insecurity—are not just problems at the top; they are deeply rooted in our society.

Want proof? Try running a business in Nigeria without supervision for six months and tell me if it will still exist. Set an exam without an invigilator and watch malpractice in full force.

The issue is not just about leadership; it’s about a mindset that must change at every level.

---

BUILDING A GREATER NIGERIA STARTS WITH US

We meet every 3rd Saturday to discuss how real transformation can happen. We need to be like the disciples at the feet of Jesus or, for Muslims, at the feet of Prophet Muhammad—absorbing an ideology so deeply that we begin to speak it on the streets and live it daily.

Until we do this, there can be no greater Nigeria.

Let’s make nation-building one of the most important courses of our lives. Because a good seed planted in bad soil cannot produce good fruit.

On my path, I will do well to notify you about the next meeting.

RENEW YOUR MIND.

Shalom.

---

Comments

DEBT IS A VERY BAD THING

You may not know me personally, but take this from me: DEBT COULD BE A TERRIBLE THING. As long as you owe someone, you remain their servant, no matter how talented or respected you are. Yesterday, while driving to work and enjoying my heavenly sandwich, I spotted Emeka in traffic and nearly lost my appetite. Why? I remembered how badly I suffered in his hands after I was duped of the money I had borrowed from him to fund a certain business opportunity. Let me gist you. When I went back to Emeka to explain what had happened, he empathised with me and even offered a payment plan since it was clear I couldn't return the money all at once. Sometime after, we were both invited to serve as panellists at a supply chain management event. I was the first to share my thoughts on a topic, which Emeka later disagreed with. But my take must have sounded more compelling, because I was asked to expand further. Crazy me (forgetting that my oga at the top was seated beside me), I took a whiteboar...

DO NOT LET ANYONE LOOK DOWN ON YOUR BUSINESS

DO NOT LET ANYONE LOOK DOWN ON YOUR BUSINESS A few years ago, at my friend's grocery shop, I witnessed a heated altercation between him and one of his sales staff. The scene was unpleasant, with harsh words flying back and forth. When I inquired, I discovered that he had audited the shop's accounts and deducted the cost of missing items from the staff member's salary, per their prior agreement. Upset by this, the staff member decided to resign, demanding a refund of the deductions. My friend responded, "We'll need to inform your guarantor about the missing items before I can process a refund." This remark caused the staff member to angrily exclaim, "This small, nonsense shop is asking for a guarantor—how much is the entire business even worth?" I noticed those words hit my friend hard. He felt his business wasn’t being respected because it was seen as “too small” to deserve proper structure. To every business owner out there, running a business is a ...

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER PRISON ?

A few years ago, I listened to a message by Bishop T.D. Jakes where he spoke about the high likelihood of ex-convicts returning to prison. This, he said, was largely due to the difficulty they face reintegrating into society. One major challenge is public acceptance. Many employers don’t want individuals with criminal records associated with their brand. Others fear that the ex-convict might relapse into old behaviours, potentially causing harm or bringing trouble to their organisation. While these concerns are understandable, Bishop Jakes advocated for meaningful reform during incarceration. He suggested that churches, manufacturers, and other businesses should create training programmes for inmates—equipping them with skills that will help them survive once they are released. The goal? To reduce the temptation to return to crime. A few days ago, while scrolling through social media, I came across a photo with a caption that caught my attention: President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina F...

Ask Chuka

Search This Blog